FAMU’s use of FSU football stadium not a good memory

“There’s no way we’re not playing in Bragg (in 2017),” FAMU Athletics Director Milton Overton has said several times.

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- You may have read Bragg Stadium, home of the Florida A&M football team, has structural problems that may hamper its use next fall. FAMU officials estimate it needs $622,000 worth of repairs, and there have been concerns whether it can be repaired in time for FAMU to play there in 2017.

Of course, that has led to some Zing!s, such as this one in December:

“Hey, taxpayers, how many days is Bragg Stadium used? Maybe four or five? Can’t they share the Doak?”

The suggestion there is FAMU can play its home games this season at Florida State University’s Doak Campbell Stadium.

It’s a naïve comment in today’s college football world. And it’s a comment to which Rudy Hubbard would say, “Been there, done that. No thanks.”

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Because in 1980, with Bragg Stadium then also needing repairs, FAMU did play its home football games at Campbell Stadium. Hubbard was the FAMU football coach – and it’s not one of his favorite memories.

“It was a bad experience,” Hubbard recalled. “We’d had some pretty good success leading up to that season. I think we were on the way, and all of a sudden we were blindsided. Instead of being on the way, I felt we lost control of the program.”

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